The Betty Crocker Project : Meat Lover's PIzza

You know, there's really not much more to say than this: I am a Mock Meat Lover. I love it! I love savory vegan foods that are a vehicle for sauces - and I'm a loyal fan to a good sauce. I'm even a bigger fan of not eating animals. Is it weird that this love of vehicles for sauces was one of the first things Dan and I ever bonded over? Back in our "just friends" days, Dan used to cook for me when I came to visit, and we'd tip each other off to good restaurants to check out because we were both traveling campaigners. The pursuit of good vegan food was one of our first shared passions.

We've both been vegan a pretty long time now, and can remember when mock meat was a pasty, bland nightmare. I know a lot of vegans still hate mock meats today, just because the first generation back in the day was just so very, very bad. Seriously, I just got a shiver up my spine thinking about it.

The thing is, those days are gone. Technology has come so far, and today there's no excuse to eat animals with such a variety of delicious vegan products and substitutes available (even if only by mail order in some places). Mock meat is the definition of amazing now! If you were one of those folks who never thought you'd learn to love again after your favorite mock meat started using egg whites, or were burned by one of the mock meat dinosaurs, please give these new products a try! You can live a cruelty free life and still enjoy things like a vegan meat lovers pizza.

So please, make this for your friends, and challenge that myth that anybody has to suffer for a second for good food.

Meat Lovers Pizza

• 1 Package Pre-made Pizza Crust (We used the Whole Wheat Pizza Crust from Trader Joe's, but you can also use the recipe below.)
• 1/3 Cup Vegan Italian Sausage formed into flattened chunks a little smaller than your palm (We used Match Vegan Meats Italian Sausage and it was pretty much the best stuff ever! It was the perfect amount of seasoning and texture. Just a reminder to some that the Morningstar Sausage Crumbles aren't vegan anymore... but remember when they were? That was great. If you want to make this and you can't get Match, you can use LightLife Gimme Lean Beef mixed with 1/4 Teaspoon of Italian Seasoning and 1/4 Teaspoon of Red Wine. I wouldn't recommend the Gimme Lean Sausage, because it's more of a breakfast sausage and makes great patties to go with a Tofu Scramble... but not with this so much.)
• 1/2 Cup Pizza Sauce
• Handful Fresh Basil (chopped)
• Handful Lightlife Vegan Pepperoni
• Handful Kalamata Olives
• Handful White Mushrooms (sliced)
• 2 Handfuls of Daiya Mozzarella Cheese (shredded)
• Flour for rolling out the dough and flouring your Pizza Stone

Preheat oven and roll out dough using instructions on the Pizza Dough package, or follow the directions below.

Spread Pizza Sauce over the Dough. Put toppings on in this order: Basil, Thin Layer of Daiya, Pepperoni Slices, Think Layer of Daiya, Sausage Chunks, Layer of Daiya, Mushrooms, Kalamata Olives, and a final layer of Daiya.

Bake for around 10 - 15 minutes, until cheese is melted. Let it cool before you slice it up and share with the world!

Betty's Pizza Crust (already vegan!)

• 3 Cups Flour (you'll need some extra to flour surfaces)
• 1 Tablespoon Sugar
• 1 Teaspoon Salt
• 1 Package Regular Yeast
• 3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
• 1 Cup Warm Water

In a large bowl, mix 1 cup of Flour, Sugar, Salt and Yeast. Add Olive Oil and Warm Water. Mix with a hand mixer at a medium speed for around 3 minutes. Stir in the rest of the Flour, and mix in any extra that's on the side of the bowl. Mix until the dough is soft and doesn't stick to the side. Place Dough on a lightly Floured surface. Knead the Dough for 5-8 minutes, until the Dough is smooth and springy. Cover loosely with plastic wrap, and let rest for around 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 425.

On a Floured surface, roll out the Dough and form into a Pizza Crust.

Flour your beloved little Pizza Stone. Gently move the Pizza Crust to the stone (there will probably be some reforming needed), and then build your pizza using the instructions above.